Preparing to manage the risk of a coronavirus outbreak

We must be persuaded to stay home

Mar.24, 2020

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It is good to note that the government on Monday declared a nationwide 10-day holiday shutting down government and private offices excepting essential and healthcare facilities from March 26 over the COVID-19 situation. As coronavirus can spread only if an infected person comes into physical contact with another person the government must impose draconian lockdown to stop further spread of the deadly virus. At this critical time, 'stay at home' might be the safest option to

slowdown the spread of coronavirus. The government also called upon the people to adopt preventive measures to fight the virus instead of panicking. People have been asked to maintain social distancing, wash hands frequently with soap and cover cough and sneezes. Also the government is implementing 14 days of mandatory quarantine for those who returned home from abroad. But certainly these are not sufficient at this critical juncture.

We must be persuaded to stay home, and

a system should be put in place to isolate

the infected and take care of them outside home

On order to manage the risk of a coronavirus outbreak, countries around the globe took harsh steps to keep their citizens confined to their homes. In this way, China, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea have been successful so far in the fight against the virus. Russia has announced prison sentences if anyone comes out of the house in this crisis period.

China, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan have demonstrated that, with furious efforts, the contagion can be brought to heel. Whether they can keep it suppressed remains to be seen. But for Bangladesh to repeat their successes will take extraordinary levels of coordination and money from the country’s leaders, and extraordinary levels of trust and cooperation from citizens. It will also require international partnerships in an interconnected world.

Considering the situation, we must be persuaded to stay home, and a system should be put in place to track and isolate the infected and take care of them outside the home. Travel restrictions should be extended, productions of masks and ventilators must be accelerated, and testing problems must be resolved.